A
Cry for Help
We
should demand our political leaders turn this nascent
Indian economic expansion into an environment where
there are increased jobs, social spending, infrastructural
upgrades, and poverty alleviation. Instead of setting the
stage for a global expansion of Indian businesses,
interests, and commerce politicians with limited
imagination are frittering away in-built advantages.

Timeless
Thiruvarur
Thiruvarur,
a town in modern Tamizh Naduâ€™s Tanjavur district boasts
this incredible ancient temple with unsurpassed continuity
of living tradition and spiritual energy.The temple has served as an icon of the Tamil land,
its environs fostering the best in human creativity and
the attainment of spiritual potential.Of all the beautiful temples of Tamil Nadu, this
Thyagarajaswami temple at Thiru Aarur (Thiruvarur) has the
most complex sacrosanct connections between the devotee
and divinity.It
is a vital center of the Tantric Sri Chakra spiritual
energy and the ancient practices established over
millennia continue to be in active practice to this day.

Caste had nothing to do with 1857 events
India
has an ancient tradition of concern for the lower castes. As seen from
the Bhakthi movement in India, the saints have worked assiduously to
raise the status and lifestyle of lower caste groups. Therefore, it is
important that we desist from seeing caste, creed, sex, and ethnicity in
everything and further spread hatred and divisiveness.

Watch
the Dragon
A
recent report from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and
Analysis Wing (RAW) that Huwawei Technologies, a major Chinese
networking player, could indulge in cyber-spying. While some say that
this is institutional bias against China, Indian experience with China
teach us to be more cautious than trusting.

Scale to Next Economic Level
Early
this year, the Government announced its decision to disinvest 10% stake
in Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd and 18.24% stake in Maruti Udyog Ltd. A
recent Finance Ministry paper talked about a slew of disinvestment in
ONGC, NALCO, Power Finance Corporation, and PowerGrid.

Cage this "Tiger"
Mansoor Ali Khan "Tiger" Pataudi! This Nawab of the erstwhile Princely State of
Pataudi was a revered cricket captain and household name. He was well-known all the right reasons; his winning attitude, gentlemanly behavior, old-age charm and also because he was the youngest Indian Cricket captain to-date.
Today, he is again in the news for all the wrong news.

Was
Jinnah a Secularist?
What
we are witnessing is a power-struggle within the centrist-right polity.
What the center-rightist are doing is to move away divisive politics and
religion-based narrow constituencies; just like the Republican Party in
the United States did with Ronald Reagan. They have figured out
that ultimately people need food, clothes, shelter, jobs, and
development within the ambit of religion.

Burying
the Howitzer?
Indian politicians seem to forget that there is a difference between
politics and governance; enemy and political rivalry; those who serve
for political power and those who serve the nation in the bureaucracy,
services, security, investigative agencies, and police. One cannot ask
for a sea change in attitude of politicians overnight but can we at
least norm as a nation in how we behave and work with each other?

Smoking
Out Smoking
Smokers in India are a menace. Apart from the rare one who take his
trash with him, most Indian smokers trash the place around them. With
the absence of such comprehensive measures, the Union Minister's noble
goal of controlling smoking and improving the health of the nation will
go nowhere.

The
French Non
The EU is India's largest trading partner. And, a collapse of the EU or
its stunted existence is not in India's or anybody's interest. The only
people who would benefit would be extreme left wingers who want a
resurrection of Communism.

Dalits
in India: History, Issues, Solutions
Who are the Dalits? How did the concept originate? Is Hinduism really
discriminatory? How are they treated in India? What are India's
initiatives to redress historical damage to this group of people? Who
are their protagonists and how have they fared? What would India have to
do for them in the future?